Captive of the Horde King (Horde Kings Of Dakkar #1) - Zoey Draven Page 0,13

Dakkari female said, setting the tray down on a low table near the horde king’s chests. There were no chairs, only cushions on the floor. “Gather your strength.”

Desperate hunger filled me when I eyed the food. Five separate small bowls filled the tray. One bowl held braised meat, another dried meat. One held a creamy, steaming broth that filled the tent with a delicious aroma. Another held some kind of root vegetable and the last was filled with a fluffy grain, a deep purple in color.

It was more food than I’d eaten at once in years. I hadn’t had meat since the Uranian Federation had included it in their rations, but it had ceased two years prior. Fresh meat…I’d never had it. It was a luxury we were not allowed on Dakkar. We were not allowed to hunt their game.

My own mother had died in an attempt to give us fresh meat. We’d been starving and she’d been desperate. The memory of her, lying in the icy snow, mauled but still clinging to life made nausea churn in my gut.

“I’m not hungry,” I said, blocking out that memory, looking away from the food.

The two females exchanged a look. “The Vorakkar will be displeased if you do not eat. You must eat, Missiki.”

“I don’t care,” I said. I knew I was being petulant, but the thought of eating meat, of eating such a lavish meal, when my own brother, my own village, was hungry made me sick.

I’d obviously stumped them because the female changed tactics. “You can eat later. Let us get you dressed.”

For what purpose? I wanted to ask. I might as well stay naked in the horde king’s bed. That was where he wanted me, wasn’t it?

Stop, I told myself. I was sulking, feeling sorry for myself. They were only trying to do what they’d been tasked with. Would they be punished if I didn’t obey?

Nodding, I swallowed the sharp, sore pain that made it difficult to move as I swung my legs over the side of the bed.

“Oh, Missiki,” the female said, her features contorting when she saw the redness between my thighs. In Dakkari, she said something to the other female, who immediately left the tent. “Do you wish to bathe? Will it help?”

My brows furrowed. “I just bathed last night.” It seemed like a lavish waste of water to bathe again so soon. But of course, the Dakkari probably had endless resources at their disposal. It was their planet, after all.

The female frowned but didn’t say anything. Instead, she went to the bundle the other female had been carrying when they’d walked in and unwrapped it.

“This will not irritate your flesh,” she said, holding up a short skirt, followed by a top that looked entirely too short.

My cheeks heated, thinking how revealing the clothing was. “Er, I would prefer the clothes I came in.”

The female scrunched up her nose, blinking. “You want those rags over this?” She shook the top and the gold beads that adorned the front jingled musically. It looked heavy but well-made. I couldn’t imagine how long it took to sew those beads on.

“Yes,” I said bristling. I’d made those ‘rags’ myself, a long time ago.

“They are being cleaned, Missiki,” she said simply. “You must wear this until they are returned.”

I was about to protest but the other female, the silent one, returned with a small jar of a white, milky substance.

“What is that?” I asked warily.

“Salve for your pyroki burns. It will help the flesh heal, take the sting away.”

“No,” I said quickly.

“Nik?” the female asked, obviously dumbfounded that I would reject it. “Why?”

“I…” I trailed off, but then decided I would tell her the truth. There was no way around it and perhaps a female, even a Dakkari one, could sympathize. “He said he wouldn’t touch me until I healed.”

Both females looked even more confused.

“I want to avoid it as long as possible. I’m not ready to have sex with him, though I know that is my purpose now. I agreed to it,” I whispered, though I said the last part more to myself.

A cautious understanding finally entered the female’s eyes. She looked embarrassed actually and returned her attention to the clothing in her hands, inspecting the beads as if her life depended on it.

“Come, Missiki,” she finally said, raising her eyes. “We will dress you.”

She didn’t speak of the salve again as they went about their duties.

Though the shift dress the horde king had given me last night barely concealed